Cost of Living in Salem
Salem's cost of living runs genuinely more affordable than Greater Boston's inner suburbs on housing, with a moderate residential property tax rate.
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Learn moreGenuinely more affordable housing
Salem's median residential assessment ran approximately $551,200 -- genuinely more affordable than Newton's or Somerville's medians documented elsewhere in this project, though still above the national figure.
A moderate residential tax rate
Salem's FY2026 residential effective property tax rate (~1.13%) runs modestly below Massachusetts's own statewide median (~1.15%), producing a median annual bill of approximately $6,193.
Massachusetts's statewide tax structure applies
Massachusetts's real flat 5% state income tax (with an additional 4% surtax above $1,107,750 of taxable income) and 6.25% sales tax apply in Salem exactly as documented statewide.
Key takeaways
- Salem's housing runs genuinely more affordable than Newton's or Somerville's.
- Salem's residential effective property tax rate (~1.13%) runs modestly below the MA statewide median.
- Massachusetts's statewide 5% income tax and 6.25% sales tax apply as documented statewide.
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